Colorado attorney general investigating Aurora apartment complex owners, documents show

AURORA, Colo. — The owners of the troubled apartment complexes in Aurora that claimed their buildings had been taken over by Venezuelan gangs are now facing an investigation themselves. 

Documents obtained by 9NEWS Investigates show the Colorado Attorney General’s Office has issued subpoenas to CBZ Management over recent months. They’re investigating potential violations of the state’s safe-housing laws that regulate housing conditions. 

The subpoena demands that the management company turn over documents related to how it screens tenants, its finances, how it handles maintenance and safety requests, and how it promotes its apartments to potential residents. The management company owns several apartment buildings in Aurora. 

Claims that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken them over and were extorting residents went viral online. They were amplified by former President Trump, who even came to Aurora last month for a speech on immigration. 

Documents obtained by 9NEWS show there have been questions about habitability and cleanliness at the apartment complexes for years.

Documents show CBZ started telling the city that it believed its buildings had been taken over by the Venezuelan gang over the summer.  

Aurora police have arrested a small number of known Venezuelan gang members in the area.